YMCA enthusiast earns promotion

WINSTED — Last week the Northwestern Connecticut YMCA announced that Canaan YMCA Branch Manager Sabrina Smeltz has been promoted to associate executive director for Winsted and Canaan’s YMCA branches.

Smeltz, 30, was born and raised in Bristol, where she attended elementary school. She graduated from Miss Porter’s School in Farmington in 1996 and attended Springfield College in Massachusetts, the original training school for YMCA instructors. She graduated in 2006 with a degree in physical education.

While attending school, Smeltz worked for Miss Porter’s, living in the dorms as a dorm parent and coaching swimming and volleyball. She also worked in the school’s development office before taking a job at the Torrington YMCA.

Since Smeltz was an infant, she spent a great deal of time at the local YMCA. She took swimming classes as a baby and became a lifeguard when she was 16.

"I grew up in a Y," said Smeltz. "I was at a Y three or four times a week. My family had memberships and we would go." When a job became available at the Torrington YMCA in 2003, Smeltz was excited to get back to her roots and took a job as an aquatic and physical education director.

In 2005, the Northwest YMCA opened the Canaan branch and Smeltz seized the opportunity to oversee the program development in the new facility, becoming branch director in June 2005. She also was assigned the task of opening the new facility and getting the programming off the group.

Pleased with the work she had done to date, Smeltz was excited when she was presented with the opportunity to combine the branch manager position in Canaan and Winsted into one position, associate executive director. She officially began working under that title on June 25.

Smeltz oversees the daily operations of the Winsted and Canaan facilities, which includes the day-to-day activities and all programming. Smeltz said she is excited to be running both facilities.

"The Y is a great place. It’s a great environment. It’s a great sense of community and family, within the staff as well as the members. It’s so much more than just a job," said Smeltz.

While Smeltz will not be able to do as much teaching and coaching as she had with her previous positions, she said she will still have a variety of opportunities to conduct training courses.

"The great part about working for the Y is I don’t think you ever get pigeon-holed in one position. I don’t think I will ever not be teaching. I may not be teaching as much, but I am teaching staff, as well, for teaching positions. That’s the nice thing about the Y. I am not stuck at a deck for eight hours a day, five days a week," said Smeltz.

In addition to managing the current programs offered by both YMCA branches, Smeltz is in the process of rolling out new programs in Winsted, with a goal of offering as many quality programs for the community as possible, ranging from child care and senior programs to swimming and phsyical education classes.

"Canaan has been running for three years now and we continue to grow. I want to continue the growth there as well as here. I think some of what has worked in Canaan I will try to model here with its own twist," said Smeltz.

Aside from her busy work load, Smeltz is active in her community. In addition to being a member of the Salisbury Rotary, Chamber of Commerce and Tri-State Chamber, Smeltz is an active participant in the United Way campaign.

In her spare time, Smeltz is a member of a weekend, New England-based traveling volleyball team. Just this past May, Smeltz played in a national competition in Altanta. The team is comprised of players from all over New England. She also coaches a Junior Olympic volleyball team at the Torrington YMCA in the winter months.